Washington Township is bounded on the north by Carbon county, northeast by Northampton county, southeast by North Whitehall, west by Heidelberg. Population in 1900 was 3,096. It was organized as a township in 1847. The surface is generally level, the soil is very fertile and the grains raised are similar to those of the surrounding townships. Slate quarrying is the principal industry, the slate is found in large quantities all over the township. The slate is used for roofing, school slates and black board surfaces, etc. The principal streams that drain the township are the Trout and Little Trout creeks. The first settlement was made in 1742, between Unionville and Slatington by Casper Peters.

Washington Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, in the Lehigh Valley area of the state.

The population of Washington Township was 6,624 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Washington Township is the northernmost in Lehigh County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 23.7 square miles (61.5 km2), of which 23.6 square miles (61.0 km2) are land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km2), or 0.74%, are water.[1] It is drained by the Lehigh River, which separates it from Northampton County to the east, and Blue Mountain separates it from Carbon County to the north.

Its villages include Best Station, Emerald, Friedens, Lehigh Furnace, Lehigh Gap (also in Northampton County,) Neffs (also in North Whitehall Township,) Newhard, Newside, and Slatedale.

Demographics

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 6,588 people, 2,512 households, and 1,929 families residing in the township. The population density was 278.4 people per square mile (107.5/km2). There were 2,594 housing units at an average density of 109.6/sq mi (42.3/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 98.71% White, 0.21% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population.

There were 2,512 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.2% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the township the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $50,587, and the median income for a family was $55,332. Males had a median income of $35,340 versus $26,967 for females. The per capita income for the township was $19,980. About 3.5% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The township is served by the Northern Lehigh School District.